HOW TO MAKE YOUR MATERIAL MORE MONTESSORI-FRIENDLY

Sharing my sorta-DIY stacking material for last night. Here’s one way I make P’s existing materials more in line with Montessori’s principles. See, a few days ago, while on vacation, P has shown spontaneous interest in stacking. He’d stack whatever he would find – speakers on a box, phones on top of one another, etc. This is the only one I got to take photos of – he saw our paper bag of containers, got a few and stacked them […]

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CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN IDEAS

We have not yet started anything special to do a Christmas countdown this year, though in retrospect, I could have made time to prepare for it. It’s okay, we can begin next year. But before I forget my ideas, I better write them down here. A Christmas/Advent Countdown really depends on you. Basically, it’s one way to prepare for the coming of Christmas. For Christians, that would mean the coming of Jesus. But non-Christians who celebrate Christmas, it’s the coming […]

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BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS WORTH SHARING

Christmas has always been a special time for me. It’s that time of the year when loved ones living far away come home (though not every year, but this is typical in many Filipino families), when you wake up at 04:00 in the morning to hear mass starting December 16 (known as Simbang Gabi) followed by eating breakfast with your companions (which normally includes the famous Filipino rice cakes – Bibingka and Puto Bumbong), when you hang your parols and […]

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SHOULD I INTRODUCE SANTA CLAUS TO MY CHILD?

As a practicing Montessori and RIE parent, I have read the “Santa Claus” debate online hundreds of times. It’s been a topic asked in many Montessori and RIE groups throughout the year, and the short answer is: from a Montessori and/or RIE perspective, it seems that the answer is NO, there is no need to introduce Santa Claus to your child, mainly because part of respecting your child is telling him/her the truth about everything, plus, especially for children in […]

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HELP! MY TODDLER IS THROWING EVERYTHING! WHAT DO I DO?

Our son been in a throwing and dumping stage lately, and if I may be honest, while yes, it could be tiring to keep picking things up that he throws (especially in our stairs, haha), it has also been a fascinating stage for me as an observer. First things first…why do toddlers throw and dump things?!? My fellow Montessori parent Nicole Kavanaugh wrote a short but informative piece HERE. You may head on to her post and take note of […]

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3 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR CHILD’S MEMORY (AND YOURS, TOO)

One of my favorite shows on Earth, Brain Games, talked about memory. It talked about how our brains work and how we store information. Did you know that our brain only has 3 seconds to decide whether or not to store the information it receives? Like Sherlock Holmes said,  “Listen. This (referring to his brain) is my hard drive and it only makes sense to put things in there that are useful. Really useful. Ordinary people fill their heads with […]

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3 TIMES BREASTMILK PROVED TO BE BEST ON FACEBOOK

Everyday, I see something about breastfeeding and breast milk that amazes me. Whether we can breastfeed or not (for whatever reason), whether we choose to give up or go on, whether we like it or not, #BreastIsBest. Feeding our children something else does not automatically mean we are bad moms (how many children do you know got mad at their mothers or thought they’re the worst mothers just because they were not fed breastmilk?), but in the end, we cannot […]

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THE LAST TIME

I found something online that resonated with me. Sharing here for those of you who might feel the same. Hugs, momma! THE LAST TIME From the moment you hold your baby in your arms, you will never be the same.You might long for the person you were before – when you had freedom and time, and nothing in particular to worry about.You will know tiredness like you never knew before, and days will run into days that are exactly the […]

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(MY FAVORITE) BREASTFEEDING BENEFITS

Google “BREASTFEEDING BENEFITS”, read a book on breastfeeding, or attend talks on breastfeeding and you will be bombarded with information on why breastfeeding rocks for both mom and the child. I am not here to collate all the benefits for you (that would probably be good for one whole book!), but on this blogpost, let me share my personal favorite benefits of breastfeeding! These are the reasons why I keep going! 1. IT’S ALIVE AND CUSTOM-MADE TO MEET YOUR BABY’S […]

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WHAT HAPPENS AFTER BIRTH? (OR MORE LIKE, WHAT I WISH I PREPARED FOR…)

I have read up A LOT when I was pregnant. I have read up on how to have a beautiful birth experience, I have read up on child care, I have read up on breastfeeding…what I did not read up on is well, what happens to ME after birth. We always hear of post-partum depression, but I now realize it isn’t just that – post-partum (whether you feel depressed about it or not) is real, and these are some of […]

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